Fun with Python - Ping Pong

Creating a ping pong (or “Pong”) game in Python typically involves using the Pygame library, which provides functionalities for creating games and multimedia applications. Below is a simple implementation of a Pong game using Pygame.

Related reading: why some games age better and retro games.

First, make sure you have Pygame installed. If not, you can install it using pip:

pip install pygame

Now, you can use the following Python script to create a basic Pong game:

Python

import pygame
import random

# Initialize Pygame
pygame.init()

# Screen dimensions
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 800, 600
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption('Pong Game')

# Colors
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)

# Paddle settings
PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT = 10, 100
paddle_speed = 7

# Ball settings
BALL_SIZE = 20
ball_speed_x = 5 * random.choice((1, -1))
ball_speed_y = 5 * random.choice((1, -1))

# Paddle positions
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(10, HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT // 2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(WIDTH - 20, HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT // 2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)

# Ball position
ball = pygame.Rect(WIDTH // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, BALL_SIZE, BALL_SIZE)

# Score
left_score = 0
right_score = 0
font = pygame.font.Font(None, 74)

# Game loop
running = True
clock = pygame.time.Clock()

while running:
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

    # Paddle movement
    keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
    if keys[pygame.K_w] and left_paddle.top > 0:
        left_paddle.y -= paddle_speed
    if keys[pygame.K_s] and left_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
        left_paddle.y += paddle_speed
    if keys[pygame.K_UP] and right_paddle.top > 0:
        right_paddle.y -= paddle_speed
    if keys[pygame.K_DOWN] and right_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
        right_paddle.y += paddle_speed

    # Ball movement
    ball.x += ball_speed_x
    ball.y += ball_speed_y

    # Ball collision with top and bottom
    if ball.top <= 0 or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
        ball_speed_y *= -1

    # Ball collision with paddles
    if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) or ball.colliderect(right_paddle):
        ball_speed_x *= -1

    # Ball out of bounds
    if ball.left <= 0:
        right_score += 1
        ball.x, ball.y = WIDTH // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2
        ball_speed_x *= random.choice((1, -1))
        ball_speed_y *= random.choice((1, -1))
    if ball.right >= WIDTH:
        left_score += 1
        ball.x, ball.y = WIDTH // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2
        ball_speed_x *= random.choice((1, -1))
        ball_speed_y *= random.choice((1, -1))

    # Drawing
    screen.fill(BLACK)
    pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, left_paddle)
    pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, right_paddle)
    pygame.draw.ellipse(screen, WHITE, ball)
    pygame.draw.aaline(screen, WHITE, (WIDTH // 2, 0), (WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT))

    # Draw scores
    left_text = font.render(str(left_score), True, WHITE)
    screen.blit(left_text, (WIDTH // 4, 20))
    right_text = font.render(str(right_score), True, WHITE)
    screen.blit(right_text, (WIDTH * 3 // 4, 20))

    pygame.display.flip()
    clock.tick(60)

pygame.quit()

This code sets up a basic Pong game where two players can control paddles using the W/S keys for the left paddle and the UP/DOWN arrow keys for the right paddle. The ball bounces off the paddles and the top and bottom of the screen, and the game tracks the score for each player. The game runs in a loop until the window is closed.

You may also find these guides useful: game graphics, game engines, game optimization.

Table of Contents

Enhanced Version

I’ll enhance the Pong game by adding features such as a scoring system, a winning condition, and some additional visual elements. Here’s an improved version of the Pong game with these enhancements:

Python

import pygame
import random

# Initialize Pygame
pygame.init()

# Screen dimensions
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 800, 600
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption('Pong Game')

# Colors
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
RED = (255, 0, 0)
BLUE = (0, 0, 255)

# Paddle settings
PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT = 10, 100
paddle_speed = 7

# Ball settings
BALL_SIZE = 20
ball_speed_x = 5 * random.choice((1, -1))
ball_speed_y = 5 * random.choice((1, -1))

# Paddle positions
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(10, HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT // 2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(WIDTH - 20, HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT // 2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)

# Ball position
ball = pygame.Rect(WIDTH // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, BALL_SIZE, BALL_SIZE)

# Score
left_score = 0
right_score = 0
winning_score = 10
font = pygame.font.Font(None, 74)
winning_font = pygame.font.Font(None, 100)

# Sounds
hit_sound = pygame.mixer.Sound("hit.wav")
score_sound = pygame.mixer.Sound("score.wav")

# Game loop
running = True
clock = pygame.time.Clock()

def draw_board():
    screen.fill(BLACK)
    pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, left_paddle)
    pygame.draw.rect(screen, WHITE, right_paddle)
    pygame.draw.ellipse(screen, WHITE, ball)
    pygame.draw.aaline(screen, WHITE, (WIDTH // 2, 0), (WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT))
    left_text = font.render(str(left_score), True, WHITE)
    screen.blit(left_text, (WIDTH // 4, 20))
    right_text = font.render(str(right_score), True, WHITE)
    screen.blit(right_text, (WIDTH * 3 // 4, 20))

def reset_ball():
    ball.x, ball.y = WIDTH // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2
    ball_speed_x *= random.choice((1, -1))
    ball_speed_y *= random.choice((1, -1))

def check_winner():
    if left_score >= winning_score:
        return "Left Player Wins!"
    elif right_score >= winning_score:
        return "Right Player Wins!"
    return None

while running:
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

    # Paddle movement
    keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
    if keys[pygame.K_w] and left_paddle.top > 0:
        left_paddle.y -= paddle_speed
    if keys[pygame.K_s] and left_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
        left_paddle.y += paddle_speed
    if keys[pygame.K_UP] and right_paddle.top > 0:
        right_paddle.y -= paddle_speed
    if keys[pygame.K_DOWN] and right_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
        right_paddle.y += paddle_speed

    # Ball movement
    ball.x += ball_speed_x
    ball.y += ball_speed_y

    # Ball collision with top and bottom
    if ball.top <= 0 or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
        ball_speed_y *= -1

    # Ball collision with paddles
    if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) or ball.colliderect(right_paddle):
        ball_speed_x *= -1
        hit_sound.play()

    # Ball out of bounds
    if ball.left <= 0:
        right_score += 1
        score_sound.play()
        reset_ball()
    if ball.right >= WIDTH:
        left_score += 1
        score_sound.play()
        reset_ball()

    # Drawing
    draw_board()

    # Check for winner
    winner = check_winner()
    if winner:
        winner_text = winning_font.render(winner, True, RED if winner.startswith("Left") else BLUE)
        screen.blit(winner_text, (WIDTH // 4, HEIGHT // 3))
        pygame.display.flip()
        pygame.time.wait(3000)
        left_score = 0
        right_score = 0
        reset_ball()

    pygame.display.flip()
    clock.tick(60)

pygame.quit()

New Features Added:

Scoring System: Players score points when the ball goes out on the opponent’s side.
Winning Condition: The game ends when a player reaches a specified score (winning_score), and a winning message is displayed.
Sounds: Added sound effects for paddle hits and scoring (ensure you have hit.wav and score.wav sound files in the same directory as the script).
Visual Enhancements: Added color-coded winning messages.

Instructions:

Save the script to a .py file.
Ensure you have Pygame installed (pip install pygame).
Run the script.
Control the left paddle using W (up) and S (down), and the right paddle using the UP and DOWN arrow keys.

This code provides a more engaging and complete Pong game experience. Enjoy!

For further context, explore save systems and enemy AI.